BOB BEYFUSS: Some helpful Christmas tree hints

I have fond memories of many "Charlie Brown" trees that still managed to look beautiful when covered with pounds of lead tinsel, enormous electric bulbs that got so hot they would light a match and ornaments that were so fragile, they would break when dropped on the rug even. Under the tree was a Lionel train set that rarely made it completely around the tracks even once, before hitting a wad of tinsel and derailing in an explosion of sparks.

Most of today's trees are some sort of fir, either Douglas fir, Fraser fir or Balsam fir. Not too many years ago, local Balsam fir trees were wild crafted from a relatively few places where they grew naturally around here. George Story, founder of Story's nursery, told me that he used to drive up to Windham where there was a large grove of Balsam fir. He sold them at his roadside stand in Freehold NY.

A couple of months ago I visited the Mt Top Arboretum in Tannersville and found a grove of wild Balsam fir. Some of them were double needled while others had a distinctly, bluish color. These cultivars would be highly desirable for plant breeders to select from and propagate. Of course, people who live in the Adirondacks have lots of wild Balsam fir to enjoy. Few trees are as fragrant as freshly cut Balsam.

The mountains of western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia grow most of the Fraser fir that seem to be the most popular species. They are intensely cultivated there in perhaps the densest monoculture I have observed.

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Remember to keep your tree well watered as long as it is in your house. Modern lights are not nearly the fire hazard their ancestors were and modern ornaments are much less fragile, but trees are still highly flammable. I think they still make Lionel trains and of course the smaller gauge H.O. trains are better designed to actually circumnavigate the tracks. Tinsel is now made of soft and lightweight plastic and does not cause electric shorts.

Your Holiday tree can last for weeks before it becomes a fire hazard and I cannot think of a better indoor decoration for the next months. After New Years the tree may be cut into pieces for mulching perennial beds or propped up for an outdoor bird feeder. The large cones of our local white pine trees can have peanut butter stuffed between the scales and suet bags can be hung from the branches. Popcorn may or may not be eaten by local birds but some whole kernel corn will attract wild turkeys and black oil sunflower seeds are the favorite food of many winter bird species.

Plastic trees do not offer all these uses sadly and they do not have fragrance, but they are reused every year. I don't think I would enjoy seeing the same tree every single year. I won't have a tree in my house this year since I will be in Florida, but I will put some apples under a wild one on my property for the deer and I will spread some corn for the turkeys.

Happy Holidays to all of you Dear Readers!

Bob Beyfuss lives and gardens in Schoharie County. Garden Tips appears Friday in the Freeman Life section. Send him an e-mail to rlb14@cornell.edu.